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A Prayer for the Preservation of Faith – St. Clement Hofbauer

O my Redeemer, 
will that dreadful time ever come, 
when but few Christians shall be left 
who are inspired by the spirit of faith, 
that time when Thine anger shall be provoked 
and Thy protection shall be take away from us? 
Have our vices and our evil lives 
irrevocably moved Thy justice to take vengeance, 
perhaps this very day, 
upon Thy children? 
O Thou, the beginning and end of our faith, 
we conjure Thee, 
in the bitterness of our contrite and humbled hearts, 
not to suffer the fair light of faith 
to be extinguished in us. 
Remember Thy mercies of old, 
turn Thine eyes in mercy upon the vineyard 
planted by Thine own right hand, 
and watered by the sweat of the Apostles, 
by the precious blood of countless Martyrs 
and by the tears of so many sincere penitents, 
and made fruitful by the prayers 
of so many Confessors and innocent Virgins. 
O divine Mediator, 
look upon those zealous souls 
who raise their hearts to Thee 
and pray ceaselessly 
for the maintenance of that most precious gift of Thine, 
the true faith. 
We beseech Thee, 
O God of justice, 
to hold back the decree of our rejection, 
and to turn away Thine eyes from our vices 
and regard instead the adorable Blood 
shed upon the Cross, 
which purchased our salvation 
and daily intercedes for us upon our altars. 
Ah, keep us safe in the true Catholic and Roman faith. 
Let sickness afflict us, 
vexations waste us, 
misfortunes overwhelm us! 
But preserve in us Thy holy faith; 
for if we are rich with this precious gift, 
we shall gladly endure every sorrow, 
and nothing shall ever be able to change our happiness. 
On the other hand, 
without this great treasure of faith, 
our unhappiness would be unspeakable and without limit! 
O good Jesus, author of our faith, 
preserve it untainted within us; 
keep us safe in the bark of Peter, 
faithful and obedient to his successor 
and Thy Vicar here on earth, 
that so the unity of Holy Church may be maintained, 
holiness fostered, 
the Holy See protected in freedom, 
and the Church universal extended 
to the benefit of souls. 
O Jesus, author of our faith, 
humble and convert the enemies of Thy Church; 
grant true peace 
and concord to all Christian kings and princes 
and to all believers; 
strengthen and preserve us in Thy holy service, 
so that we may live in Thee and die in Thee. 
O Jesus, author of our faith, 
let me live for Thee and die for Thee. 

Amen.

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